Harry Potter is Over rated

[Riva]

I think the HP series worked better on film than it did on paper.
I read a few of the books, years ago, just to see what all the fuss was about. The story idea itself is fine (albeit rather formulaic- ultimate battle between good/evil- but that's practically unavoidable), but its structure/language is just... sad. Adverbs abound. Trademark of bad writing, when your vocabulary is limited to [for the most part] adverbs to draw a picture in the reader's mind. If I'd read that series as a child, I'd feel as though the author held some sort of condescension toward children... overly simplistic phrasing (within a novel) feels somewhat like sophisticated babytalk, to me. But then, I was reading rather heavy works when I was young, so my perception may be off about that last bit.

LOlz i liked the series for all the points you mentioned against it.

English second language, vocabulary limited, 13 years old and definitely didn't need nor would have appreciated grey characters. So that book was exactly what i needed.

I started reading lord of the rings at the same age but didn't like it because it was draggy and the language sounded old. It ALSO had black and white characters with the exception of BOROMIR. So i wonder whether you liked it?

Hobbit i like and liked more than the LOTRs.

 

[Lexicon]

LOlz i liked the series for all the points you mentioned against it.

English second language, vocabulary limited, 13 years old and definitely didn't need nor would have appreciated grey characters. So that book was exactly what i needed.

I started reading lord of the rings at the same age but didn't like it because it was draggy and the language sounded old. It ALSO had black and white characters with the exception of BOROMIR. So i wonder whether you liked it?

Hobbit i like and liked more than the LOTRs.

I liked LOTR/The Hobbit, but I actually preferred Dune & The Wheel of Time Series, more, if we're talking fantasy.

 

[Riva]

I liked LOTR/The Hobbit, but I actually preferred Dune & The Wheel of Time Series, more, if we're talking fantasy.

Don't you see any similarities between the plots in lotrs and hp?

They are all black and white characters (esp in lotr) where the good had to triumph over evil.

Infact hp had more grey characters (snape, james potter) and had characters we couldn't pass judgement on (the death eaters).

In both the serieses the plots were do or die. It was a matter of who would due in the process.

I should look into that series you mentioned. So thanks in advance .

 

[Lexicon]

Don't you see any similarities between the plots in lotrs and hp?

They are all black and white characters (esp in lotr) where the good had to triumph over evil.

Infact hp had more grey characters (snape, james potter) and had characters we couldn't pass judgement on (the death eaters).

In both the serieses the plots were do or die. It was a matter of who would due in the process.

I should look into that series you mentioned. So thanks in advance .

I couldn't BEGIN to list the other fantasies that the author of HP ripped off. So many. Sorry, I mean her "inspirations," or "influences." She may not be aware of where her mind picked up some of her plot devices/characters, etc.
I'm sure some parallels are unavoidable within the genre, though.

 

[SD45T-2]

I couldn't BEGIN to list the other fantasies that the author of HP ripped off. So many. Sorry, I mean her "inspirations," or "influences."

Quentin Tarantino in a nutshell.

 

[Eugene Watson VIII]

I didn't really enjoy the last 3 movies. It just seemed like meandering and they just ran out of ideas or something.

 

[prplchknz]

ffs: over rated does not equal bad. over rated means people make a bigger deal out of something than it actually is

 

[xisnotx]

From what I've read (the 1st three books), I agree that it's overrated but not a complete waste of time. If I had kids I wouldn't mind them reading it, but I would also recommend some better children's literature like Madeleine L'Engle and C.S. Lewis.

I'm literally...spazzing out...with how much this is wrong...

I can't...evn...form..sentenc...

YOURE RONG!

 

[Flâneuse]

[MENTION=11238]xisnotx[/MENTION]

OK.

 

[BlackDog]

Look, HP is famous because it is well plotted, has a good ratio of characters, is paced well, and is written in very simple language. It is set to be a hit because it is easy enough for lots of people to read, and the storyline is complicated enough to interest people who are readers. She does a decent job of creating atmosphere as well. That stuff she said about plotting the whole thing out at the beginning was untrue, though. She plotted some stuff, but she changed the trajectory of the story at least once. I know because I read the series.

HP is not original. It is ultimately a derivative of Tolkien. And secondarily she borrows from other authors, as well. A lot.

Tolkien is objectively the greatest fantasy author of the modern era. He created the whole thing, and his work is much, much greater than HP. Anyone who compares the two doesn't have 'taste'. You may get more enjoyment from HP; that's true. No one disputes that fast food has a certain appeal; however, it isn't to be compared to advanced cooking.